View source for Samuel Lewis (Businessman)

{{otheruses|one of several characters named Sam Lewis|the others|Sam Lewis}}

{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = 
| caption             = 
| name                = Samuel Laurence Lewis
| birthdate           = 
| died                = 
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[Federated Commonwealth]]
| rank                = [[Warrant Officer]]<ref name=H:HSp146>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 146: "S. L. Lewis Incorporated (SLewInc)"</ref>
| title               = 
| position            = [[CEO of S. L. Lewis Incorporated]]
| profession          = Businessman
| parents             = 
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = [[Samuel Lewis, Jr.]]
}}
'''Samuel Laurence Lewis''' was the founder of [[S. L. Lewis Incorporated]].<ref name=TRO:VAp64>''Technical Readout: Vehicle Annex Revised Edition'', p. 52: "Slipper LX Hover Sedan"</ref>

==History==
Samuel L. Lewis was a warrant officer serving aboard the ''[[Merchant (JumpShip class)|Merchant]]''-class [[JumpShip]] ''[[Winnetka]]'' when it chanced upon an abandoned [[Star League]] supply cache out in the [[Periphery]]. Dumping their original cargo of Botany Bay Industrial Sand, the crew loaded up on as much [[Lostech]] as could be carried and agreed to split the salvage amongst themselves. For his portion, Lewis claimed more than 2,000 [[Omni 25]] [[fusion engine]]s, purported to be the most efficient ever made.  Rather than sell them off and retire rich, Lewis decided to hold on to the tiny engines.  With news that the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] was looking to procure a new combat vehicle for reconnaissance work, Samuel Lewis incorporated himself and spent the next few years perfecting a new scout hovercraft for the [[Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces]].<ref name=TRO:3026p6>''Technical Readout: 3026'', p. 6; reproduced verbatim in ''Technical Readout: 3026 Revised'', p. 10</ref>

A battle was the final test; after three weeks of grueling testing for a new screening or recon force vehicle that [[House Steiner]] was soliciting, only two vehicles were left for consideration. Samuel Lewis piloted his prototype hovercraft. Over the course of a day, Lewis consistently won all trial engagements against [[Savannah Johnson]], darting behind her 'Mech while his own vehicle could barely be targeted because of its speed. Johnson remained cool until after her 12th defeat; after her 15th defeat Lewis began to taunt her and question her abilities. During the 17th battle she snapped and turned the mock battle into a live-fire duel that she lost as well, surviving the destruction of her ''Locust'' through auto-ejection when its ammunition stores exploded from a hit.<ref name=TRO:3026p6/>

The as-yet unnamed hovercraft was named [[Savannah Master]] by Lewis following the trial, and the LCAF immediately ordered 1,000 units. It would go on to become a staple recon vehicle throughout the [[Inner Sphere]] and [[Periphery]].<ref name=TRO:3026p6/>

In later years, it was suggested that the now-famous procurement exercise and Johnson's defeat may have been staged, as LCAF training regulations prohibit carrying live ammunition in a training exercise.<ref name=TRO3039p10>''Technical Readout: 3039'', p. 10: "Savannah Master Hovercraft - Deployment"</ref>

The final result, christened the [[Savannah Master]], became a popular design with both the LCAF and the [[Armed Forces of the Federated Suns]]. After that he founded [[S. L. Lewis Incorporated]] in [[3017]].<ref name=H:HSp146/><ref name=TRO3025p6>''Technical Readout: 3025'', p. 6</ref>

The supply of 2,000 Omni 25 fusion engines Samuel Lewis had recovered from the LosTech cache wasn't enough to meet the demand for vehicles generated by the [[Fourth Succession War]], and in [[3035]] Lewis sought interest from fusion engine manufacturers across the Commonwealth willing to attempt to reverse engineer the Omni 25. Lewis gave away the last ten Omni 25 engines he owned to help drive interest in this project, and in [[3037]] [[Edasich Motors]] had designed a new production-standard engine, the [[Edasich Omni 25]]. The S. L. Lewis Inc. lines were retooled to accept the Edasich Omni 25, and full vehicle production resumed. As a result, S. L. Lewis would sell thousands of vehicles between 3037 and the end of the [[FedCom Civil War]].<ref name=TRO3039p10/>

==Notes==
The Samuel Lewis character was written into [[BattleTech]] [[canon]] by real life [[FASA]] staff member and game developer [[Sam Lewis (person)|Sam Lewis]], who was arguably the first [[BattleTech Line Developer]] and also the person who created the Savannah Master vehicle. In a 2022 interview, Sam Lewis clarified that he associated the creator of S.L. Lewis, Inc., with his father and not with himself; his alter ego in the BattleTech universe was (only) the Professor General [[Sam Lewis (Scientist)|Sam Lewis]] character, who was first mentioned in ''[[Warrior: Coupé]]'' as a background character and whom he and author [[Mike Stackpole]] had agreed to kill off as an in-joke.

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Handbook: House Steiner]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3026]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3026 Revised]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3039]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: Vehicle Annex Revised Edition]]''
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMKQ_zW4cnE YouTube interview] (uploaded 02 February 2022)

[[Category:Federated Suns Characters|Lewis, Samuel Laurence]]
[[Category:Lyran Commonwealth Characters|Lewis, Samuel Laurence]]